The Battle's Won But The Child Is Lost
by TARDIS-set-adrift
Summary: Fourth instalment of The Broken Girl series. The Doctor and Rory need to find Amy, with a little help from Aderyn and friends. Will they get there in time? Will River, Amy and Rory survive when Oswin makes a surprise visit? And why does Aderyn know so much about events she didn't witness? COMPLETE.
1. Rally The Troops

**Fourth instalment of The Broken Girl series. (First: The Broken Girl, Second: Battle Plans and Wedding Days, Third: The Impossible Time Stream)**

 **The Doctor and Rory need to find Amy with a little help from Aderyn and friends. Will they get there in time? And will River, Amy and Rory survive when Oswin makes a surprise visit?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Doctor Who.**

* * *

The Doctor sonicked the lock from a distance and burst through the door without knocking. This was important, there wasn't time for such politeness. His insistence on charging in was rewarded with a furious shout.

"Doctor! What are you doing? You could have knocked. And what kind of time do you call this?" Aderyn was stood in the kitchen, piece of toast in one hand and a mug in the other. The Doctor looked at her and instantly turned away. Rory caught up with him quickly and mimicked the Doctor as he saw Aderyn stood in the kitchen in her underwear.

"Sorry no time. This is important." The Doctor said sheepishly.

"So important that you couldn't have waited until I wasn't stood in my underwear trying to eat breakfast and get ready to go out?" Aderyn snapped.

"We need to find Amy. Someone has taken her and our baby. We need to get her back but we need your help." Rory said quickly.

"Well, why didn't you say?" Aderyn said "Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to get some clothes on." They heard a rush of movement and the Doctor peered apprehensively over his shoulder. He established Aderyn was gone and marched over to the kettle.

"Tea," he said absently "tea makes everything better."

When Aderyn returned the Doctor gave her fresh mug of tea and ushered her to the kitchen table before she had a chance to fully pull her jumper over her head. With some help from Rory she was able to untangle her jumper sleeves and sit down without spilling her tea.

"So what is going on?" She asked.

"Someone has taken Amy and our baby. We need to get her back." Rory said.

"Yes you said that. What else do you know?"

The Doctor shook his head sadly "Nothing else unfortunately. Whoever took her was clever. They replaced her with a flesh avatar."

"When? How? Where is she?" Aderyn asked.

"We don't really know where she is or how. We know that it was sometime before we went to American and that was a couple of weeks ago." Rory said.

The Doctor, who had been flipping through a manuscript that had been left on the table, didn't notice. But Rory had been watching her. He saw the moment of uncertainty and confusion as she paused, her cup inches from table top.

"America?" she asked.

She hadn't been able to hide the confusion from her voice. This caught the Doctor's attention and he looked up at her. "Yes, we had some investigating to do. Is that important?" He said.

Aderyn shook her head. "No it's not. What is important is Amy. If we don't know where she is then we better find out. I say we rally the troops."


	2. Do I Need To Repeat The Question?

Aderyn felt weird travelling through space and time by herself without her vortex manipulator. But she knew how to fly the TARDIS and she knew where she was going. Unlike when the Doctor piloted the TARDIS, the landing was quiet. She remembered to take the brakes off. The TARDIS scanner confirmed that they had arrived at Paternoster Row in London 1888.

She had taken poor Jenny, the house's maid, by surprise when she had burst through the TARDIS door into the drawing room and demanded to see Madame Vastra. Jenny had sworn loudly at her and told her that Vastra was out. But Aderyn would wait. This was important. She sat on the floor, legs crossed and leant against the TARDIS. She would have fallen asleep in the warm, comfortable room had Jenny not pushed a cup of tea into her hands before retreating into the hall when the front door was opened.

"You're back early. Another case cracked I assume." Jenny said with false joviality as Madame Vastra put her sword back onto its stand by the door.

"Yes. Send a telegram to Inspector Abberline of the yard. Jack the Ripper has claimed his last victim."

Jenny was impressed "How did you find him?" she asked.

Madame Vastra threw back her hood and the candlelight flickered against her green scales. She smiled at her "Stringy but tasty all the same. I shan't be needing dinner tonight."

Jenny shifted nervously. "What is it?" Vastra asked her.

"A matter has arisen in the drawing room, ma'am."

Madame Vastra pushed open the door and was shocked to find Aderyn sat on the floor. She stood quickly when Madame Vastra entered. "I have been sent by the Doctor. We need help." she said.

Madame Vastra turned calmly to Jenny "Pack the cases, Jenny. And we're going to need the swords."  
_

Rory decided he hated travelling by vortex manipulator. It left him feeling dizzy and light headed whenever they arrived somewhere. And he certainly didn't like the Doctor's methods of battle.

The Doctor and Rory arrived in a Cybership and went their separate ways.

The room was already full of Cybermen when Rory entered. He hoped the Doctor's plan worked otherwise it wasn't likely he'd get out of this room alive. He positioned himself purposefully in front of a large window and addressed the legion in front of him.

"I have a message and a question. A message from the Doctor and a question from me. Where is my wife?" His voice rang out in the shocked silence "Oh, don't give me those blank looks. The Twelfth Cyber Legion monitors this entire quadrant. You hear everything. So you tell me what I need to know. You tell me now, and I'll be on my way."

The Cyberleader took a step forwards "What is the Doctor's message?"

Behind Rory, the other ships in the Cyber Legion exploded. Rory cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow "Do I need to repeat the question?"


	3. You Weren't There

The Battle of Zaruthstra, 4037 A.D. Strax strode across the battlefield, a captain close on his heels. "Commander Strax. I just have to ask. A Sontaran nurse?"

Strax turned to face him "I serve a penance to restore the honour of my clone batch. It is the greatest punishment a Sontaran can endure, to help the weak and sick," he replied bitterly. The TARDIS, now empty of all occupants, materialized on the battlefield. Strax looked at it with a sigh "Tonight, though, perhaps my penance is over. Captain Harcourt, I hope some day to meet you in the glory of battle, when I shall crush the life from your worthless human form" He turned towards the TARDIS "Try and get some rest." He said as though it were an after thought.  
_

Rory had taken Aderyn's vortex manipulator and strict instructions. The Stormcage facility was much bigger then he could have imagined. The manipulator took him a couple of floors away from where he'd needed to be. It had taken him a while to sneak to the right cell. As he arrived, so did River. An alarm blared throughout the silent corridor. River reached for the phone "Oh, turn it off. I'm breaking in, not out. This is River Song, back in her cell. Oh, and I'll take breakfast at the usual time. Thank you."

She turned to walk into her cell but stopped when she saw a shadowy figure walking towards her. He emerged into the light and there was no mistaking Rory the Roman. She smiled at him.

"Doctor Song. It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams. I'm not quite sure where we are." he stammered.

"Yes, we've met. Hello Rory." She said sadly.

"Where have you been this time?" Rory asked, not sure how best to approach the task at hand.

"It's my birthday," River replied with false cheer "Aderyn took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs."

"I've come from Aderyn as well."

"Yes," River said slowly "But at a different point in time."

"Unless there's two of them." Rory mused.

"That's a whole different birthday." River said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Aderyn and the Doctor need your help." Rory said simply. River took her diary out of her bag and flicked through the pages "Demons Run." she said quietly.

"How did you know?" Rory frowned.

"I'm from her future. I know everything. But why are you dressed like that?"

Rory looked down at his clothes, suddenly remembering he was dressed as a Centurion. "The Doctor's idea." he explained.

River smiled "Ah yes, his rules of engagement. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

"And look ridiculous," Rory sighed "But we need your help. They've taken Amy. And our baby. The Doctor's getting some people together. We're going after her, but he needs you, too."

River shook her head "I can't. Not yet anyway. This is the Battle of Demon's Run. The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further, and I can't be with him till the very end."

"But Aderyn needs you too." Rory said.

"I really can't be there." River said, walking backwards into her cell.

"But why?" Rory demanded.

"Because this is it. This is the day she finds out who I am."  
_

Rory didn't quite know what to tell Aderyn and the Doctor. So he just told them that River wasn't there and that she must have bumped into Aderyn or the Doctor from a different point in time.

Aderyn swore under her breath "Sometimes I hate time travel." The TARDIS re-materialized in the living room and Strax marched out of it, snapping a smart salute at the Doctor.

"Who's left, Spaceman?" Aderyn asked.

"Just one other. But I better go for this one. You lot sit tight. I won't be long. Oh and don't call me Spaceman." The Doctor said, running into the TARDIS.

Aderyn sighed and stood "I'll make tea." Rory followed her into the kitchen.

"Are you okay? You've seemed a bit nervous since I mentioned America."

"The Doctor said you did some investigating. Did it have anything to do with Space 1969?" Aderyn said quietly.

"How do you know that? You weren't even there." Rory said.

"I wasn't but Oswin was. I thought it was all a dream until you mentioned America."

"What do you remember about it?" Rory asked, rushing forward to take over making tea. Aderyn's hands were shaking so much he thought she was likely to drop something.

"I remember feeling angry but not knowing why. And I couldn't remember who you were, or Amy or River. And something about a spacesuit and the Library." She said.

"Oswin did mention the library. What happened in the library?"

"It doesn't matter at the minute," Aderyn said shaking her head. "You spoke to River didn't you?" she said after a pause.

"Yes. She had her reasons for not being here." Rory said. He instantly knew he should have denied it. Aderyn slammed her hand onto the counter. The cutlery on the draining board rattled loudly.

Aderyn regretted that action. Her hand throbbed. She shook her hand irritated and she muttered under her breath. To Rory it sounded like she said "How could I forget?"

"She said she couldn't be there until the end. She will be there." Rory tried to sound comforting.

"It's fine," Aderyn said calmly "I know her reasoning. I just forgot."

"Why can't she be there?" Rory asked.

"Because if she is there before then bad things will happen. I don't know when she's going to arrive but she will at some point. Could be in a couple of hours, could be a couple of days. Could be months or years even. Just know that it's a very good reason."

"But I don't understand." Rory said, now getting as annoyed as Aderyn.

"You're not meant to. Not yet anyway."

When the Doctor arrived again he stuck his head through out of the TARDIS door "Right then, let's go. We'll discuss the battle plan on the way."

"This better be a good plan" Aderyn muttered as she followed the others into the TARDIS.

The Doctor had been able to coerce a surprising amount of information from a reluctant Dorium Maldovar. He had worked with one of the groups involved in Amy's kidnapping. He would prove useful.

"They have been raising an army," he told them "But the soldiers will be nothing to worry about. It's the Headless Monks that will be the problem."

"Headless Monks?" Rory frowned.

"The clue is in the name. They are strong and fearless. They truly have nothing to loose. They are protected by the Papal Mainframe."

Aderyn tuned out of the conversation. She had found out about the Headless Monks years ago on one of her trips with the Doctor. When they had gone to the Library she had read a few books. They truly were something to be cautious of. She wasn't looking forward to this. She was nervous about facing them. Whenever she had been in any danger she had always had River with her. But this time she felt like she was on her own. She knew what River's time line was heading to and she figured she should get used to not having River to fall back on.

As the Doctor discussed a few minor details with Dorium, she slipped away and sat in the swing seat underneath the TARDIS console. She liked it under here. It was calm and the hum of the engines was soothing.

The Doctor noticed Aderyn walk away. He knew something was bothering her. That's the last thing he wanted right now. He couldn't risk being distracted by a moody Aderyn when he knew so little about what they were about to walk into. Rory approached him.

"Doctor, she knows about America."

"How can she?" The Doctor said quickly.

"I was talking to her and she said she thought it was just a dream until I mentioned it. I don't know exactly how much she knows or remembers. But how can she remember if she wasn't there?"

"I don't know, Rory. But we'll just have to keep an eye on her and figure it out later," He turned to Vastra and Jenny "I'm going to need you two to keep her safe as much as possible. Without getting yourselves killed obviously."

Vastra nodded "You know I will." Jenny nodded encouragingly.


	4. Make Sure You're On The Right Side

Amy stared out of the large window into the main hangar of Demons Run. There was an army congregated, being briefed by Colonel Manton. Amy felt nothing but despair. Her child had already been taken away from her. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that the Doctor and Rory would come for her. They wouldn't let her stay here. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the door open. When she realised there was someone else in the room she balled her hands into fists, prepared to fight, before she turned around. There was a young, female soldier stood nervously by the door.

"Can I help you?" Amy snapped.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'm meant to be at the thing. I brought you something," she held out her hand. Amy took the item. It was a delicately sewn leaf. There was a language on it that she didn't understand "Your child's name in the language of my people. It's a prayer leaf and we believe, if you keep this with you, your child will always come home to you."

Amy was too tired and angry to truly believe the nice gesture that was being made. "Can I borrow your gun?" She said moodily.

"Why?"

Amy sighed "Because I've got a feeling you're going to keep talking," She saw the hurt look on the young woman's face and turned back to the window "They're talking like he's famous. The Doctor isn't famous."

"He's met a lot of people. He's like, I don't know, a dark legend." the woman said.

"Dark?" Amy chuckled "Have you met him?"

"Yes, once. But I was just a little girl."

"So was I." Amy whispered.

"You've been with him a long time, then."

Amy shook her head "No. He came back for me."

"You must be very special." The woman said quietly. In the reflection in the window, Amy saw her turn to leave.

"What's your name?" Amy asked, turning around again.

"Lorna. Lorna Bucket."

"Well, Lorna Bucket, You can wait a long time for the Doctor, but he's worth it, okay? The thing is, he's coming. No question about it. And he'll ave friends with him. Just you make sure you're on the right side when he gets here. Not for my sake, for yours," she held up the prayer leaf "Thank you. I mean it. Thanks. That's the only nice thing anyone has done for me since I've been here."


	5. Get Your Coat!

Aderyn stayed as still as possible. For the whole thing to work the soldiers had to believe that her and the Doctor were actually headless monks. She hoped that Vastra and Jenny would be quick with their own task. The robe was too warm and made her feel claustrophobic. She had just been thankful that the size of it meant her gun was well hidden. She smiled to herself as she heard the Colonel talk.

"He is not the devil. He is not a god. He is not a goblin, or a phantom or a trickster. The Doctor is a living, breathing man, and as I look around this room I know one thing. We're sure as hell going to fix that." he said. The assembled soldiers cheered. Aderyn rolled her eyes. The Doctor was stood next to her and she was sure he would be doing the same thing.

"Some of you have wondered why have we have allied ourselves with the Headless Monks. Perhaps you should have wondered why we call them Headless. It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith. As you all know, it is a Level One Heresy, punishable by death, to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this one and only occasion, I can show you the truth. Because these guys never can be persuaded," Aderyn could just see him lower the hood of the Monk at the end of the line. She was glad the Doctor was between the Colonel and her. There would be no surprise or threat perceived if she was revealed first. "They never can be afraid," this time Aderyn saw what was beneath the Monk's hood. There was nothing. The Headless Monks really were headless.

"They can never be-" The Colonel had reached the Doctor now.

"Surprised!" The Doctor said, throwing back his hood. "Ha, ha! Hello, everyone. Guess who. Please, point a gun at me if it helps you relax. You're only human after all."

The army raised their guns and the Headless Monks drew flaming swords.  
_

Two men sat in the control room. They were surprised to suddenly find swords pressed against their throats.

Madame Vastra leant forward and hissed in the ear of the man in front of her "Go on, resist. I am ever so hungry."

Jenny turned the chair and leant close, still keeping her sword pressed against the man's skin "Now," she demanded "Which button controls the lights?"  
_

"Doctor, you will come with me now." Colonel Manton demanded.

The Doctor laughed "Oh I don't think so."

Aderyn lowered her hood and drew her gun from beneath her robe.

"Three minutes forty seconds," The Doctor said to Aderyn. He then raised his voice to a tremendous shout "Amelia Pond! Get your coat!" He threw his hood up again as the lights went off.


	6. Give 'Em Hell

When the lights came back on a few seconds later both the Doctor and Aderyn were gone. Colonel Manton looked around the group of soldiers but he could see neither of them.

"I am not a phantom," The Doctor said. The echo in the suddenly quiet hangar made it impossible to tell where his voice was coming from.

"I am not a trickster. I am a Monk." The soldiers turned their attention to the Monks, who hadn't moved. Unlike the soldiers, the Monks didn't see the Doctor or Aderyn as a threat so saw no need to take action against them. A frightened soldier raised his gun, pointing it shakily at one of the Monks.

"It's him!" he shouted before shooting at the Monk.

"Weapons down. Do not fire." Manton screamed. But it was too late. The Monks ignored their fallen comrade and turned on the soldier. One of the Monks reached out his hand, disposing of the soldier with a blast of red electricity. The soldiers opened fire. The Monks retaliated.  
_

In the control room Jenny smiled down at the carnage playing out beneath them. The Doctor's plan had worked. Although the Doctor wasn't willing to inflict violence himself, he had done very well in turning the Monks and the soldiers against each other. By the time Manton had begun to regain control, most of the soldiers had been killed by the Monks.

"Clever, isn't he?"

Madame Vastra stopped playing with the console long enough to cast a brief glance out of the window. "And rather attractive."

Jenny rolled her eyes "You do realise he's a man, don't you, ma'am?"

"Mammals. They all look alike."

Vastra was busy so didn't notice the glare Jenny cast in her direction "Oh, thank you." she said bitterly.

Vastra looked up at her "Was I being insensitive again, dear? I don't know why you put up with me."

One of the men, now tied up, looked from Jenny and Vastra, who had their backs to them, to the door release mechanism. He inched closer to it. Vastra turned and lashed out at him with her tongue. When she turned back, Jenny hid a smile. Dating a lizard woman from the dawn of time certainly had its perks.

They turned their attention back to the window in time to see the soldiers lowering their guns.

"Colonel Manton is regaining control." Vastra said.

"Where have the Doctor and Aderyn gone?" Jenny scanned the group but she couldn't see them.  
_

Lorna broke away from the troop, heading in the direction she believed the Doctor had gone. She found two discarded robes and she knew she was going the right way.  
_

A handful of Silurians and Strax beamed into the hangar. Strax appearing next to Manton, his gun raised. "This base in now under our command." Strax told him. The Silurians closed around the troop, herding them into a close group.

Manton clenched his jaw "I have a fleet out there. If Demon's Run goes down, there's an automatic distress call."

"Not if we knock out your communications array. And you've got incoming." Aderyn's voice boomed out. The communicator in her hand crackled."Danny Boy to the Little Bird! Danny Boy to the Little Bird!"

"Give 'em hell, Danny Boy." Aderyn shouted happily into the communicator. Spitfires strafed the communications array, putting an end to the possibility of calling for help. Manton sighed and hunched his shoulders, loosing some of his strong demeanour.

"Don't slump. It's bad for your spine." Strax frowned.  
_

Madame Korvarian had been watching the proceedings from a safe distance. But now she knew there was nowhere on the asteroid that was safe. "I need to get off this station now. Bring me the child!" She straightened her jacket and lightly touched the silver eye patch that was fitted closely over her eye before turning on her heels and walking away as quickly as possible. She knew the Doctor and his meddling friend were going to be trouble. When she arrived at the escape shuttle, there were already troops waiting for her. One of them held a high tech Moses basket. The baby inside began to cry.

"Get back in there with the rest of them. Remember, the Doctor must think he's winning, right until the trap closes. I'll take my ship from here." She took the baby and he troops walked away. Lorna followed them quickly. She had seen Madame Korvarian walk away and had followed. Now she needed to find the Doctor or one of his friends and warn them.

Rory stepped forward quickly as Madame Korvarian moved towards the shuttle.

"No." he said loudly. She turned and smiled nastily at him.

"I have a crew of twenty. How do you expect to gain control of my ship?" In response the shuttle doors flew open and a Pirate Captain and his son stepped out, swords drawn.


	7. Demons Run Is Ours

Strax marched the Colonel into the control room. The Doctor spun the chair round and smiled at him. "Sorry Addy," the Doctor said to Aderyn, who had been leant against the console just out of Manton's eye line "I lied. Three minutes forty two seconds."

Aderyn shrugged "Your timing has been worse." A small hiss made Manton look round. A disgruntled looking Madame Korvarian was being closely watched by Madame Vastra.

"Now Colonel Manton," The Doctor said standing up "I want you to tell your men to run away. Those words. Run away. I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Colonel Run Away. I want children laughing outside your door, because they've found the house of Colonel Run Away. And, when people come to you, and ask if trying to get to me through the people I love is in any way a good idea, I want you to tell them your name," he paused, a bizzare smile flitting briefly across his features "Oh, look, I'm angry. That's new. I'm really not sure what's going to happen now." He sat down again and, resting his elbows on the arm of the chairs, steepled his fingers under his chin.

"The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules." Madame Korvarian said.

The Doctor leapt to his feet again and took slow, careful steps towards her.

"Good men don't need rules," The Doctor said as he walked. "Today is not the day to find out why I have so many." Aderyn cleared her throat. The Doctor straightened his bow tie and threw himself back into the seat.

"Give the order. Give the order, Colonel Run Away." Madame Korvarain said, wihtout taking her eyes off the Doctor.

Rather graciously, the Doctor let them leave. But under the knowledge that if they did anything like this again he wouldn't hesitate to let them see exactly what Aderyn, Jenny and Vastra could do with the swords they carried. "I believe Aderyn has a fondness for cutting stuff off." The Doctor warned them as they were escorted off the asteroid. When the door had closed behind them Aderyn turned sharply to the Doctor, frowning and trying not to laugh "I cut stuff off do I?"

The Doctor smiled "Well I thought it would be more impressive then you carrying a sword but being an amateur."  
_

A hammering on the door made Amy jump. She scrabbled to find something to use to defend herself. She found something that, although she had no idea what it was, she felt she could use as a weapon. She held it out in front of her "Who's that? Who's there? You watch it, because I'm armed and really dangerous, and cross."

She sighed with relief when she heard Rory call through the door "Yeah, like I don't know that."

"Rory? Rory, is that you." Amy asked, her voice shaking.

"Yeah, it's me. Hang on a second." She could hear noises that, although muffled by the door, sounded like a sonic screwdriver.

"They took our baby." Just to say the words aloud made it all very real. She cried about it for the first time. The door opened.

"Now, Mrs Williams, that is never, ever going to happen." Rory walked slowly in, carrying the baby in his arms. Amy resisted the urge to run towards him, letting him make it down the steps first.

"Where's she been? What have they done to her?" She said, finally loosing her ability to keep still any longer and running to him.

"She's fine," Rory told her "she's fine. I checked. She's beautiful. Oh God, I was going to be cool. I wanted to be cool. Look at me." He had promised he wasn't going to cry. But now he couldn't stop himself.

"You're okay. Crying Roman with a baby. Definitely cool. Come here, you." Amy grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss. The Doctor and Aderyn peered around the open doorway.

"Urgh. Kissing and crying. We'll be back in a bit." The Doctor said squeemishly.

Rory turned to face them "Oi, you two. Get in here, now. My daughter. What do you think?"

The Doctor and Aderyn joined them, peering at the baby in Rory's arms.

"Hello,...baby." the Doctor said uncertainly.

"Melody." Amy told them.

"Well, hello Melody Pond." Aderyn said.

"Melody Williams." Rory corrected her. Aderyn frowned and Amy laughed.

"Melody Williams is a geography teacher. But Melody Pond is a superhero." Aderyn said.

The Doctor looked down at Melody and frowned "Well yes, I suppose she does smell nice. Never really sniffed her. Maybe I should give it a go," he looked up at Amy and smiled "Amelia Pond, come here," He hugged her tightly "I'm sorry we were so long."

"It's okay. I knew you were coming" Amy said as she let him go. She looked at the three of them "Both of you. My boys. And the wee Beastie." Aderyn grinned at the name. Although this was the first time Amy had called her that, she liked it. She really hoped it would become a nickname.

The Doctor looked at the baby again "It's okay. She's still all yours. And really, you should call her mummy, not big milk thing."

Amy looked at Aderyn "What's he doing?"

"He speaks everything, including baby." Aderyn explained.

The Doctor adjusted his bow tie, looking sternly at Melody "No, it's not. It's cool."

Aderyn and Amy laughed. Their joy and relief escalated when Madame Vastra entered "They're leaving. Demon's Run is ours without a drop of blood spilled."


	8. The Cot Is Mine

Melody cried and Amy carried her out of the TARDIS, rocking her gently.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked, running up to her and looking closely at the crying baby.

"She doesn't like the TARDIS noise," Amy explained "I asked him to turn something off, but it was all, but I don't want to punch a hole in the space-time continuum."

"Actually he could try turning off the brakes. No hole in the continuum and less damage to the poor TARDIS." Aderyn said cheerfully.

There was hurried footsteps and a happy shout made them look round "Addy! Look, the Clerics have been escorted out of the quadrant. Spitfires have returned to their own time. Captain Avery and his men are going," Jenny was walking quickly towards them. She looked at the screaming baby and frowned "Is she alright?"

Amy nodded as she began to pace a small circle with the baby. Strax stomped toward them "Give her to me, human fool," he demanded "She needs changing."

"Hey, don't be so insulting." Aderyn told him.

"I've just changed her," Amy sighed "I think she needs a feed."

"A feed, of course. I'll take care of everything," they stared at him. Not sure who should have the discussion about humans with him. He saw their frowns "I have gene-spliced myself for all nursing duties. I can produce magnificent quantities of lactic fluid." He thumped his chest proudly.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes as he walked out of the TARDIS carrying a cot.

"She's not hungry, she's tired," he put the cot down and peered over Amy's shoulder at the baby, who's cries had lessened in volume "Sorry Melody, they're just not listening." He took Meldoy from Amy's arms and placed her in the cot. It was old looking, the blue wood was faded. A mobile hung above it and the Doctor spun it slowly. Melody stopped crying.

"What's this?" Amy asked, walking quickly around the cot to take it all in.

"Very pretty according to your daughter," the Doctor turned his attention from Melody and looked up at Aderyn "Madame Vastra is in need of your assistance." Aderyn gave a half hearted attempt to salute and walked quickly away.

"Doctor, this cot is really old," Amy said, then a sudden thought struck her "Do you have kids?"

"No." The Doctor replied quietly.

"Have you ever had children?" Rory asked.

The Doctor looked down at Melody again and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his fringe out of his face "No it's not, it's my real hair."

Aderyn's voice boomed out over the tannoy system "Oi, Spaceman. I need you to grab my vortex manipulator," there was a click as she switched off the tannoy. Then another cick as she switched it back on "Oh and bring it up to me. Thanks."

"I really wish she wouldn't call me that." the Doctor muttered as he ducked into the TARDIS and retrieved the manipulator from the TARDIS console. As he made his way across the hangar Amy called out to him.

"This is where I was? The whole time I thought I was on the Tardis, I was really here?"

The Doctor looked at Rory and stood up straight "Centurion, permission to hug?"

Rory nodded "Be aware I have a sword."

"At all times," he thrust the vortex manipulator into Rory's hand, leaving him free to hug Amy. "You were on the Tardis, too. Your heart, your mind, your soul. But physically, yes, you were still in this place."

When the Doctor let her go he could see tears welling up in her eyes again "But when I saw that face looking through the hatch, that woman looking at me."

"Reality bleeding through."

Rory threw the manipulator back to the Doctor "So her Flesh avatar was with us all that time. But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the Tardis wherever we were in time and space." he said.

The Doctor nodded "They're very clever." He tried to walk away again but was stopped by Amy.

"Is there anything you're not telling us?" She pleaded "You always hold out on us. Please, not this time. Doctor, it's our baby. Tell us something. One little thing."

"It's mine," the Doctor said eventually. For a split second, Rory looked panicked. "The cot is mine." he clarrified and was finally able to break away from them to see what Aderyn was up to.


	9. Have You Hacked My TARDIS Before?

When he reached the control room Aderyn was sat at the computer console and typing furiously. She muttered continuously, a string a swear words in various languages. When she realised he was there she rushed over and took the vortex manipulator from him, hastily fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked as she threw herself back into the seat and slammed her hand onto the keyboard in annoyance.

"The TARDIS is too stubborn. She won't let me in." she muttered. The Doctor, confused, looked at Madame Vastra, who shrugged.

"What are you on about?" he asked.

"Whatever they have been doing is stored on this computer system. But, and it is a pretty gargantuan but, the files are heavily protected. You can't hack into them as easily as you would any other file. Now, if the TARDIS would stop being stubborn and realise it's me then I could hack into the TARDIS mainframe and use that to hack the computer." Aderyn explained at high speed, barely pausing for breath.

"But what do you need the manipulator for?" Vastra asked.

"Because I could use it to convince the TARDIS it's me trying to hack in," She tapped information into the manipulator "If I was using my laptop then it would be fine. She'd recognise me."

"Have you hacked my TARDIS before?" The Doctor shouted.

Aderyn rolled her eyes "More times then you would believe, my dear." The vortex manipulator beeped and Aderyn let out a triumphant shout "Yes! Thank you." she began typing quickly again. The Doctor crossed to the window, watching Amy and Rory cooing over Melody. He smiled to himself. He knew they were destined to be happy. And right now it looked like they were on the right track. He was oblivious to Madame Vastra and Aderyn's hushed conversation behind him until Vastra shook his shoulder to bring him out of his reverie.

"Is Melody human?" Vastra asked bluntly.

The Doctor frowned "Sorry, what? Of course she is. Completely human. What are you talking about?"

Aderyn pushed the chair away from the computer and waved her hand at the screen "They've been scanning her since she was born, and I think they found what they were looking for."

The Doctor looked at the screen "Human DNA." he said, observing the helix that filled the screen.

"Look closer," Aderyn prompted "Human DNA. Specifically human DNA plus Time Lord." The Doctor stepped away from the computer, certain this was all a mistake. He shook his head.

"You've told me about your people. They became what they did through prolonged exposure to the time vortex. The Untempered Schism." Vastra said.

The Doctor laughed coldly "Over billions of years. It didn't just happen."

Vastra ignored the last comment and addressed Aderyn, who had once again busied herself going through Melody's files "How close is she? Could she even regenerate?"

Aderyn shrugged "It's impossible to tell from this. I don't even think they knew."

"No, no. I don't think she would be able to." The Doctor shook his head violently and paced back and forth behind Aderyn's chair.

"You don't sound certain." Aderyn said in an almost taunting voice.

"Because I don't understand how this happened."

Vastra turned once again to the Doctor "Which leads me to ask when did it happen?" She said cautiously.

"What?"

Vastra sighed "I am trying to be delicate. I know how you can blush. When did this baby begin?"

Once again the Doctor replied with "What?"

Aderyn spun the chair around "I've got this one. When was she conceived? And if you still don't understand then I'm afraid I will have to explain it to you. And I won't spare your blushes."

Something in the Doctor's head clicked into place "Ah," he said "Well, how would I know? That's all human-y, private stuff. It just sort of goes on. They don't put up a balloon, or anything."

"I might try the balloon thing for when I'm stood around the kitchen in my underwear." Aderyn said under her breath.

"You are not going to let that go are you?" The Doctor said angrily.

Aderyn shook her head "Not until locked doors have a meaning to you."

"That's enough, Aderyn," Vastra barked "Could the child have begun on the TARDIS in flight, in the vortex?"

"No, No," The Doctor waved his hand, dismissive "Impossible! It's all running about, sexy fish vampires and blowing up stuff. And Rory wasn't even there at the beginning. Then he was dead, then he didn't exist, then he was plastic. Then I had to reboot the whole universe. Long story."

Aderyn cut across him "To answer the question Madame Vastra, yes. I do believe that she was conceived on the TARDIS in flight. Technically the first time they were on the TARDIS together in this version of reality was on their wedding night." Aderyn paused and frowned at the screen in a distinctly disgruntled manner.

"What is it?" Vastra asked.

"This has all been a bit too easy. Ok so hacking into the TARDIS wasn't that easy but it was doable. But didn't they give up a bit too easily?"

"You're right." Vastra said. Aderyn picked up her sword belt from the floor, strapping it to her back once again.

"I'm going to get back down there. This really doesn't feel right." She left. The Doctor sat in the chair she vacated and stared at the screen. "Go with her." the Doctor said quietly.


	10. At All Costs Protect The Child

When Vastra and Aderyn reached the TARDIS once again, everything was just as they had left it. But something really didn't feel right. Keeping her hand on her sword, Aderyn paced around the room, peering into every corner and behind every door. She ran back across the room when Strax marched a woman toward them.

"I found it listening at the door." He informed the room.

"I heard Madame Korvarian talking. This is a trap," The woman looked at the angry, disbelieving faces staring back at her and added desperately "Why would I lie to you?"

"Well, you might want to take a look at your uniform." Rory said bitterly.

"The only reason I joined the clerics was so I could meet the Doctor again." She shouted.

"You wanted to meet him, so you joined an army to fight him?" Jenny scoffed. She threw a glance behind the woman's shoulder at Aderyn, who still clutched at her sword handle.

"What's your name?" Aderyn said. The woman jumped and spun round.

She opened and closed her mouth several times before stammering "Lorna. Lorna Bucket."

Aderyn smiled "The girl from the Gamma Forest," Lorna nodded "But Jenny does have a point. Why join an army to fight him?"

Lorna frowned "Well, how else do you meet a great warrior?"

"He's not a warrior." Amy snapped.

"Then why is he called the Doctor?" The lights went out, cutting their conversation short. Lorna's voice quavered "It's starting. Please listen to me."  
_

The Doctor idly spun the chair in a lazy semi circle, staring at the screen. "Why even do it? Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?" he said to himself. He kicked his foot against the floor, watching the room spin passed as he spun round in several quick, dizzying circles. When he stopped the chair he jumped violently, caught off guard by the sight of Madame Korvarian on the console screen.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm a long way away. But I like to keep tabs on you. The child, then. What do you think?" Korvarian said lazily.

"What is she?" The Doctor asked, recovering quickly.

Madame Korvarian smiled "A weapon. And hope," The Doctor frowned and Korvarian laughed. "A weapon," she explained "And hope. Hope in this endless, bitter war in which she will be the perfect weapon."

"What war? Against who?" The Doctor spat.

"The war against you, Doctor." Madame Korvarian laughed.  
_

A white cone of light appeared around the TARDIS. Vastra raised her hand and cautiously touched the light.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"It's a forcefield." Vastra said, drawing her hand back quickly. There was several loud thuds.

"And that's the doors locking." Lorna said.

"It would appear we're not going anywhere." Vastra muttered.

"I warned you." Lorna said quietly.

A rhythmic chant echoed throughout the quiet hangar.

"That's the attack prayer." Dorium breathed as the chant grew louder as the Headless Monks approached.

"This is where we'll make our stand. Clear lines of sight on all approaches." Vastra commanded.

Rory pulled Amy away from them, concealing her and the baby behind a tall stack of boxes.

"No offence to the others, but let them all die first, okay?" Amy said.

Rory smiled at her "You're so Scottish." He turned and headed back to the others when he heard Vastra call "Centurion! You're needed."

"There should be some plasma pistols here somewhere," Lorna said, quickly rummaging through abandoned crates "They left everything."

"Then find them," Aderyn barked "I don't fancy my chances against them with nothing but a sword."

"We don't need to fight them," Dorium said cheerfully "I'm friends to the Monks. They know me."

"They also know that you sold them out to the Doctor." Rory pointed out.

"Oh, they'll understand it's only me. Only silly old me." Dorium said. Guns were pushed into Vastra, Jenny and Aderyn's hands and Dorium stepped into the darkness, arms outstretched "Mister Maldovar, get back here!" Vastra shouted after him.

"Arm yourself fool." Strax yelled. But he paid them no attention. Soon Dorium Maldovar was consumed by the darkness. The chanting grew faster and louder. There was a metallic _swish_ followed by a sickening _thud!_. They held their breath. Two Headless Monks emerged from the shadows, escorting the headless body of Dorium. Vastra and Jenny took a protective step closer to Aderyn. The three of them raised their weapons. Rory drew his sword and a small hand gun. Strax and Lorna armed themselves quickly.

"Protect the child," Vastra said "At all costs protect the child."  
_

"A child is not a weapon!" The Doctor shouted at the screen. He was getting very annoyed with Madame Korvarian. She kept smiling and laughing as if this was all some sort of game.

"Oh, give us time. She can be. She will be." Korvarian said in a knowing whisper.

"Except you've already lost her, and I swear I will never let you anywhere near her again." The Doctor said, quickly calming at the thought. But any relief he felt was short lived when Madame Korvarian laughed again.

"Oh, Doctor. Fooling you once was a joy, but fooling you twice the same way? It's a privilege."

The Doctor thought about this statement for a second. When he realised what she meant, he ran quickly from the room.  
_

With Vastra and Jenny refusing to leave her side, Aderyn soon found herself taking down Monks with surprising ease. Jenny and Vastra had discarded the guns fairly quickly. They used swords to block deadly blows from the Monks as Aderyn let out a volley of rapid gunfire, hitting the Monks with shocking accuracy. When she threw the weapon aside, ammo spent, she drew her own sword. The Doctor had been right, she was an amateur. But she had picked up some skills with a sword. She just hoped that she was good enough. The hangar was alive with a deafening cacophony of clashing swords, gunshots and shouts. But soon one shout drowned out everything else. It was Amy shouting for Rory as the baby in her arms dissolved into a pool of Flesh. Aderyn and Rory ran towards her, both swinging wildly at any Monk who dared approach them. But they knew it was too late.


	11. Demons Run When A Good Man Goes To War

By the time the Doctor had managed to sonick open the door that lead to the hangar he was too late. There was an unsettling quiet about the place. The bodies of the Monks littered the floor. Nearby, Strax was propped up against some boxes, his breathing laboured. Rory was stood close by to him.

"It's strange. I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped." Strax said weakly.

"Come on, Strax. Don't give up." Rory said, trying to sound comforting.

"It's all right. I've had a good life. I'm nearly twelve." Strax said with mock confidence.

"Listen to me. You'll be back on your feet in no time. You're a warrior." Rory said, putting a hand on Strax's shoulder.

"Rory, I'm a nurse." Strax replied, closing his eyes for the last time.

The Doctor spotted Amy sat on a box. Jenny was sat behind her, trying her best to give her some comfort. As the Doctor approached Amy jumped to her feet, glaring at him.

"So they took her anyway. All this was for nothing." She said quietly.

"I'm so sorry." The Doctor said. He took a step towards Amy but she moved angrily away from him.

Jenny stood and put a hand on her shoulder "Amy, it's not his fault." She said.

"I know." Amy said and walked away from them.

"Doctor," Madame Vastra put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump "There is someone who wants to speak to you. Her name is Lorna. She came to warn us."

The Doctor followed her and found Aderyn sat cross legged on the floor, talking to a young woman. The woman was clearly dying.

"Hey. Hello," he said, crouching next to Aderyn "You helped my friends. Thank you."

"I met you once, in the Gamma Forests. You don't remember me." Lorna said weakly.

"Hey, of course I remember. I remember everyone. Hey, we ran, you and me."

When Lorna's eyes closed Aderyn stood angrily and marched away. She ignored everyone and started pacing along a wall as far away from everyone else as possible. Vastra was the only one brave enough to approach her. The Doctor could hear Aderyn's raised voice which was occasionally interrupted by Vastra's calming tones. This wasn't how it was meant to be. This wasn't what was meant to happen. The Doctor felt suddenly, very alone.

A familiar voice made him jump and caused an anger to boil deep within him "Well then, soldier. How goes the day?"

The Doctor rounded on River with undisguised fury "Where the hell have you been? Every time you've asked, I have been there. Where the hell were you today?"

River stood her ground "I couldn't have prevented this."

"You could have tried!" The Doctor spat venomously.

"And so could you," River turned kindly towards Amy "I know you're not alright. But hold tight, Amy, because you're going to be."

"You think I wanted this? I didn't do this. This wasn't me!" The Doctor shouted.

River shook her head sadly "This was exactly you. All this. All of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name. Doctor. The word for healer and wise man throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word Doctor means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon just to bring you down. And all this, my dear, in fear of you."

Aderyn spotted River and strode angrily towards her. Vastra was close behind her. Aderyn stopped in front of the Doctor "I told you this was just too easy. I told you," she said angrily. She turned to River and Vastra took hold of her arm, uncertain as to what Aderyn would do "And as for you River Song," Aderyn spat "If I can even call you that anymore. Some warning would have been nice."

"Spoilers," River said quickly "And how do you know?"

Aderyn shrugged "It's too complicated to explain now."

"Try." River demanded.

"Oswin," Aderyn replied quietly. She looked over at Amy and Rory briefly "I'm not sticking around to see how this ends. I have a birthday to celebrate." She pulled her arm out of Vastra's grip and stormed into the TARDIS.

River walked slowly towards the cot which was now empty and cold.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked as he walked over to her. She looked down at the cot, the Doctor looked down as well. After a moment he broke into a smile.

"Ah. But that means..."

"Yes." River said quietly.

He looked over at the TARDIS, his smile broadening "That's interesting."

"Yes." River said again.

"That's adorable," The Doctor spun round, now grinning uncontrollably "Right. OK. Vastra and Jenny, till the next time. Rory and Amy, I know where to find your daughter, and on my life, she will be safe. River, get them all home." When Aderyn emerged from the TARDIS, the Doctor looked at her and chuckled quietly.

Aderyn frowned at him but chose to ignore his odd behaviour. When she saw River stood by the cot she knew he had found out. "So," Aderyn asked, wrestling the vortex manipulator onto her wrist. "Do I at least get a hint on the perfect birthday outing?"

"London 1814." River said.

"The last of the great Frost Fairs. I have style," she turned to the Doctor, smiling oddly "There's a reason this place is called Demons Run. There's a poem. I don't know if you've heard it."

"I can't say I have." The Doctor said curiously.

"Demons run when a good man goes to war. Night will fall and drown the sun. When a good man goes to war. Friendship dies and true love lies. Night will fall and the dark will rise. When a good man goes to war. Demons run, but count the cost. The battle's won, but the child is lost." And with that she vanished.

The Doctor shrugged and walked cheerfully towards the TARDIS. He had pushed open the door when River, once again, caught his attention.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, hello."

"Look after Aderyn. She means more to you then you can possibly imagine." River said.

"Um...OK." The Doctor walked into the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him. As the TARDIS began to fade Amy ran forward, shouting "What's going on?" But the Doctor didn't hear and the TARDIS vanished.

Amy snatched Vastra's sword from where it had been abandoned on the floor and, holding it in front of her, headed straight for River. Vastra and Jenny moved to step forward, but River held up her hand " It's okay, she's fine," River indicated the cot "It's the TARDIS translation matrix. It's take a while to kick in with the written word." Amy looked into the cot. The intricate pattern for circles in the cot still looked like nothing but a bunch of circles. "I still can't read it." Amy raised the sword a little higher.

River reached into the cot "It's high Gallifreyan. It doesn't translate. But this will," she held out the prayer leaf that Lorna had made "It's your daughter's name in the language of the Forest. Except they don't have a word for Pond, because the only water in the forest is the River. The Doctor will find your daughter, and he will care for her whatever it takes. And I know that. It's me. I'm Melody. I'm your daughter."


	12. A Promise That Will Be Broken

The last of the great Frost Fairs had definitely been a good idea. It was an amazing day. But Aderyn's heart had sunk when River declared that she needed to return to Stormcage. She'd smiled sadly at Aderyn's protests that they were time travellers so could spend as much time together as they wanted and she would have only been gone for a few minutes, seconds even. After all, Aderyn wasn't the Doctor so had decent timing. But it made no difference. They soon found themselves in a quiet corner of a store room in Stormcage, several floors below River's cell. It was turning into an awkward goodbye. River could tell there was something bothering Aderyn that she just wasn't talking about.

"When I mentioned Oswin, you weren't surprised."

River smiled sadly. She didn't feel like she should be the one talking to Aderyn about Oswin. There was a risk of major plot spoilers.

"I'm from you're future," River said eventually "I know all about Oswin. I haven't reached the very first encounter with Oswin yet. But tell me one thing."

"Spoilers," Aderyn allowed herself a smile "That would depend entirely on what you want me to tell you."

"I just need to know whether I pretended not to know who Oswin is. I don't want to mess anything up." River said. She expected Aderyn to refuse to answer, though she could see it in her face that she was resisting the urge to tell her more than she should.

"You didn't know her."

River smiled. And turned to the door "See you later Aderyn." She said.

Aderyn opened and closed her mouth several times, bit her tongue and then started talking before she could stop herself "Just don't be too hard on Oswin. It won't help her. Whatever happens, know that she isn't me."

River leant forward and gently kissed Aderyn's forehead "You will never be her. I won't let it happen. I promise." And she left Aderyn, smiling to herself, standing in a cupboard. As she walked through the corridors, River mentally cursed herself for giving Aderyn false hope. She had seen in her eyes that the idea of becoming Oswin had terrified her. And once again River had made a promise she knew she would only break. After all, River Song knew she was the very reason Aderyn becomes Oswin.

When Aderyn got home she realised exactly how tired she was. She hadn't stopped since she had woken up at six o'clock that morning. It had been all running around and saving people then trying to make it a decent birthday for River. She'd never really had any decent birthdays herself when she was younger. Well not until the Doctor. So she'd always felt the need to make other people's birthdays special. And River's more then anyone. But it wasn't the Doctor she had first travelled with that had always been there. There would be a point in his time line when he would go back through Aderyn's time stream and be a parent to her just because she needed one. She didn't know when but some time soon, she guessed. Aderyn had so many memories from various points of her childhood of a man with floppy hair and a bow tie watching over her. She hadn't known who it was. She hadn't even thought about it until she was climbing out of the wrecked star liner with him that she realised she had seen his face somewhere before. She knew where now. The appearance of Oswin had made her think about her life quite a lot. More than anything she had thought about her childhood. When she was small, she'd been shut in her room. No one else was in and she'd had a nightmare. No matter how much she cried no one had come to her. No one except a young man who had picked her up and told her stories until she'd fallen back to sleep. When she had been about seven she had wondered away from the play area she was meant to be staying in and got lost. She'd been alone and scared and there he had been. He took her home and was furious when her parents hadn't cared about the fact she had been gone. He'd sat with her that night when she had been upset by the ensuing argument. He'd actually taken the time to talk to her. It had been the first time anyone had actually taken the time to treat her like a human being. He had promised her that one day he would take her away from that place. Even if it was just a brief trip he would show her the wonders of the universe. He had stayed with her until she had fallen asleep, curled in a tight ball at his side. He had told her some of the wonderful things she had seen and she had dreamt of the stars that night.

It wouldn't be until she was well into her teens that he showed her the stars. But he did show her what it was like to live. He had shown her what it was like to have people that cared. And not just him. When she had been thirteen, he had taken her to Victorian London. He had intended on showing her some of the wonders of history. But something had come up. He never told her what. She had protested loudly about going home. And he had been reluctant to take her home. So he had taken her somewhere safe until he had dealt with the issue that had arisen. He had taken her to Paternoster Row. Although Madame Vastra had terrified her completely to start with, Aderyn knew the Doctor wouldn't take her anywhere dangerous. When the Doctor had returned to collect her, he had found her in the house's library, deeply engrossed in a book. So it became the routine that whenever the Doctor had something to do that was too dangerous for a young Aderyn to go along to, she would be left with Madame Vastra.  
The Doctor had started taking her on regular trips to see many wonderful points in history. And each trip had ended with a visit to see Madame Vastra. She had learnt a lot from Vastra and the Doctor.

When she finally flopped onto her bed, still clothed fully clothed, she drifted into a blissful sleep. She dreamt of the stars and of being surrounded by the people she had cared for most.


	13. She Dreamt Of The Stars

She woke with a start and tears in her eyes. She wished she hadn't woken up. It had all been a dream. She had dreamt of the stars and being around people she cared for deeply. She hadn't recognised a few of the people in the dream. But she had known that she cared about and adored them. And they in turn and cared about her. She had dreamt that she had known what it was like to feel something other than a constant, burning anger. She didn't even know why she was angry anymore, she just was. Her arms and legs cracked noisily as she stretched. Everything ached from her uncomfortable sleep, hunched in a less then pleasant doorway. If she had her way she would have gone back, back to where she was safe and oddly comfortable. Even the hard, metal bed in her cell in Stormcage was greatly preferable to the stone floor. But she had come this far and had been unable to go any further. The vortex manipulator had become temperamental shortly after she had arrived and had refused to take her anywhere. When she got here, where ever here was, she had been too exhausted and agitated to try and fix it. So she had found a secluded corner and slept. She checked the manipulator again. Apparently this is where she was meant to be. Emerging onto a busy street, blinking against the blinding sunlight, she stared in disbelief at the zeppelins over head, the horse drawn carriages that rattled passed, the centurions in their chariots. As she walked passed a shop that had many televisions in the window she was certain she caught a glimpse of Charles Dickens being interview by a news programme. Something was very wrong.  
_

The Doctor was dragged roughly from his cell and marched in front of the Holy Roman Emperor, Winston Churchill. Oh how time had become wrong. All of time was screwed up and as long as Churchill deemed him to be a mystery, there was nothing he could do about it. Churchill waved away the guards that had brought the Doctor to him.

"Tick tock goes the clock, as the old song says. But they don't, do they? The clocks never tick. Something has happened to time. That's what you say. What you never stop saying. All of history is happening at once. But what does that mean? What happened? Explain to me in terms that I can understand what happened to time." He said, pacing in front of the Doctor.

The Doctor looked up at him and stated simply "A woman."

Churchill gaped at him "What do you mean?"

The Doctor sighed "Suppose there was a man who knew a secret. A terrible, dangerous secret that must never be told. How would you erase that secret from the world? Destroy it forever, before it can be spoken."

Churchill considered this for a moment "If I had to I'd destroy the man."

The Doctor stayed silent. When had they left Churchill's office? They were in the Senate room now. But when did they get here? He looked down at his arm and saw a single tally mark. This wasn't good. He was so intent on staring at the mark on his arm that it took him a second to realise he was being spoken to.

"But was has that got to do with anything?"

The Doctor shook his head "Silence would fall. All the times I've heard those words, I never realised it was my silence, my death. The Doctor will fall. I knew my life was coming to an end. So I sent out some messages to my friends, I wanted them there."

"Why would you do this? This I find hard to believe. Why would you invite your friends to see your death?" Churchill said, aghast.

"I had to die, but I didn't have to die alone. Amy and Rory. The last Centurion and the girl who waited. Aderyn and River. The little bird with a broken wing and the only water in the forest. However dark it got, I'd turn around, and there they'd be. If it's time to go, remember what you're leaving. Remember the best. My friends have always been the best of me." The Doctor said quietly.

"This woman you spoke of, and the little bird with the broken wing." Churchill prompted.

"River and Aderyn. Aderyn was meant to be there, but she wouldn't arrive until much later. Well, someone that would be her arrived. And River Song came twice."

He remembered so clearly.

He strode towards the astronaut that had emerged from the lake. He knew it was her. And he wasn't afraid.

River lifted the suit's visor "I can't stop it. The suit's in control."

The Doctor smiled at her "You're not supposed to. This has to happen." River had pleaded with him to run. But running had brought him back here, back to this point.

"It's okay. This is where I die. This is a fixed point. This must happen. This always happens. Don't worry. You won't even remember this." The Doctor said soothingly.

The suit raised her arm "This is inevitable. And you are forgiven. Always and completely forgiven," The Doctor closed his eyes, waiting for the end. He heard the suit fire but nothing happened. He opened his eyes "What have you done?" he snapped.

River smiled at him "Well, I think I just drained my weapon systems."

"But this is a fixed point in time. Fixed points can't be rewritten."

The last thing he heard her say was "This fixed point has been." before the world around him dissolved.

"But what does this all mean?" Churchill demanded.

But again the Doctor was preoccupied with staring at his arms. He could feel his hearts beating quickly as though he had been running and Churchill had his revolver grasped tightly in his hand, the smell of gun smoke permeated the room. The Doctor realised then that he had a spear clasped in one had.

"It means that all of time happened at once," The Doctor looked around the room but could see nothing out of the ordinary "And it would appear we have been defending ourselves."

"But what happened?" Churchill demanded "What happened when you stayed alive?"

"Nothing," The Doctor said distracted "Nothing and then everything all at once."

"What did you mean defending ourselves?"

"The creatures that lead the Silence, they're remarkable beings. You can't remember them. The moment you look away, you forget they were ever there. Don't panic. In small numbers, they're not too difficult." The Doctor shifted his grip on the spear and saw the inside of his forearm was covered in tally marks. This wasn't good. He looked up. The Silence were hanging from the ceiling like bats. Just then a small cylindrical device rolled in to the room, beeping as it skittered towards them. The Doctor made a break for it, knocking Churchill to the floor. _Flash! Bang!_ The Doctor was thrown backwards by the blast and an army of heavily armed soldiers burst into the room. They raised their guns to the ceiling and the Doctor noticed that each one of them was wearing a small black eye patch. A woman dressed in black strode confidently through the soldiers. "Identify yourself." Churchill roared as the woman made her way towards them. The Doctor squinted through the smoke left from the blast and let out a short burst of laughter. "Pond," The woman said "Amelia Pond." Churchill raised his gun at her but the Doctor lowered it quickly. He then noticed that she too was wearing a small black eye patch. The same black eye patch that every ally of the Silence wore.

"No! No, Amy, Amy. Why are you wearing that?" He stammered. Amy raised a gun, pointing it squarely between the Doctor's eyes and fired. The Doctor fell back.


	14. Stun Gun Aren't Fun

The Doctor could feel warm, soft cushioning beneath him. He opened his eyes to see a ceiling fan spinning lazily above him. Somewhat stiffly, he pushed himself upright. Unless he was mistaken, and he was certain he was right, then he was on a train. He saw a familiar person leaning in the doorway.

"Amy?"

"Stun guns aren't fun." Amy said "I'm sorry. I wanted to avoid a long conversation. You need to get up though, we'll be in Cairo shortly."

The Doctor struggled to his feet, leaning on the wall for support. "My Pond! Amelia Pond from Leadworth, please, listen to me. I know it seems impossible, but you know me. In another version of reality you and I were best friends. We, we travelled together, we had adventures. Amelia Pond! You grew up with a time rift in the wall of your bedroom. You can see what others can't, you can remember things that never happened," he spoke quickly and pleadingly. He grabbed something off a desk, waving it as he spoke "And if you try, if you really, really try, you'll be able to..." Amy smiled and looked at what the Doctor had picked up. He looked at it, relief crossing his features. He had picked up a small, hand crafted model of the TARDIS. He looked around the carriage and saw many drawings stuck to the walls. There was rough sketches of Daleks and Cybermen and many other things from their many adventures. He happily noticed a drawing of someone who was, unmistakably, Aderyn. The Doctor's smile broadened into a grin.

"You look wonderful." He said.

"So you do. But don't worry, we'll soon fix that." Grinning, she held up a tweed jacket, shirt and bow tie. The Doctor changed and shaved quickly, happy to be back in his own clothes rather than the Roman garb he had been forced into.

"Cool office though. Why do you have an office? Are you a special agent boss lady? Not sure about the eye patch." He said, adjusting his bow tie for the tenth time.

Amy pushed his hands away and straightened it "It's not an eye patch. It's like the one Oswin found in the children's home. Time's gone wrong. Some of us noticed. There's a whole team of us working on it, but you'll see."

The Doctor couldn't contain his happiness at being reunited with Amy. He had missed her. He was easily able to slip back into his normal self, fast talking and slightly rambling "And you've got an office on a train, that is so cool. Can I have an office? Never had an office before! Or a train. Or a train slash office. But where's the Roman?"

"You mean Rory. My husband Rory," She held out a sketch for him to look at. It was a crude likeness of Rory but definitely him "I've no idea, I can't find him. I love him very much, don't I?"

"You always find your Rory," The Doctor said kindly "but why all the drawings?"

"I have to keep writing and drawing. It's so hard to remember. It has something to do with the Lake doesn't it? You died and you didn't. I remember it two ways."

The Doctor sighed sadly "Two different versions of the same event, both happening in the same moment. Time split wide open. Now look at it. History happening all at once."

There was a polite knock on the door and a soldier entered "Ma'am, we're about to arrive. Eye drives need to be activated as soon as we disembark." he said before leaving again. The Doctor smiled at the retreating figure of Rory. Amy really would find her Rory. When he looked back at Amy she was frowning at him.

"If time isn't passing then how can you be ageing?"

"Because time is still passing for me. Every explosion has an epicentre. I'm it. I'm what's wrong because I'm still alive."  
_

"Where are we?" The Doctor asked as he followed Rory along a corridor and down a staircase.

"Area 52," Amy told him "The base of operations. And you have to put that on." The Doctor had been surveying the black eye patch he had been given with great distaste.

"An eye patch. Why?" he complained.

"It's not an eye patch, Sir," Rory said "It's an eye drive. It communicates directly with the memory centres of the brain, acts as external storage."

"It's the only thing that works on them," Amy said, stopping the Doctor when they came to the bottom of the staircase "No living mind can remember these things." She urged the Doctor forward. He stepped along the corridor and was greeted with many containment chambers. Each chamber was filled with a fluid and the Silence.

"We've captured over one hundred of them now. All held here." Rory said.

"I always wondered what they looked like." the Doctor said quietly, stepping close to one of the chambers.

"Well, put the eye drive on and you'll remember," Amy said. "But only as long as you're wearing it. Any human ally of the Silence wears them. They have to." As they walked passed the chambers, the creatures within turned to look at the Doctor. He put the eye drive on, somewhat reluctantly.

"So why aren't people killing them on sight anymore?" Amy asked.

"That was a whole other reality," The Doctor replied quietly "What are the tanks for?"

"They can draw electricity from anything, it's how they attack. The fluid insulates them. And I don't like how the way they're looking at you." Rory said, raising his gun ever so slightly.

"Me neither." The Doctor muttered.

"They haven't been this active in a while. It might be nothing but I'm going to check it out." Rory walked quickly away from them and the Doctor felt a sense of unease.

"Come on, Doctor," Amy said, grabbing his arm and leading him to a door "Time for you to meet some old friends."

When she pushed open the door, the Doctor caught sight of a familiar figure stood in front of him. He smiled. It was there hair that had told him clearly who it was. And if she was here. Then Aderyn would be too.

River turned to face him "What kind of time do you call this?" She moved aside and the Doctor saw Madame Korvarian, bound to a chair.

"The death of time. The end of time. The end of us all. Oh, why couldn't you just die?" Korvarian sighed.

"Did me best, dear. I showed up," The Doctor said, sound a little more cheerful then he intended "You just can't get the psychopaths these days."

"So what is actually happening with time? Why is everything happening at once?" Amy asked.

"Reality has been fatally compromised. As long I'm alive, time is dying," The Doctor turned furiously to River "And it's all because of you, River."

River shrugged "I know what would happen if you did die."

"Aw that's sweet. Let me congratulate you on being stupid." The Doctor held out his hand and moved towards River. River took a step backwards and a soldier moved forward and pulled the Doctor back.

"I know what will happen if we touch. I'm not that stupid." River snapped.

The Doctor lunged suddenly, taking the soldiers by surprise. He grabbed River's wrist. The clock on the computer changed time. It flicked from 5:02pm to 5:03pm. Soldiers grabbed the Doctor and pulled him back once again. "Cuff him." River ordered.

"It's the only way, River. We're the opposite poles of the disruption. If we touch, we short out the differential, time can begin." The Doctor protested.

"And I will be by the lakeside killing you." River muttered.

"And time won't fall apart. Reality will continue. There isn't another way." The Doctor shouted.

River shrugged again "I didn't say there was."


	15. Known Only As Oswin

A drop of liquid grew larger and eventually, under it own weight and gravitational pull, it fell, landing on Amy's head. She looked up. The ceiling of the control room was damp. Drops of liquid were growing in size and starting to fall. "Doctor?" she said uncertainly "What's happening?" The Doctor looked up.

"The pyramid above us, how many Silents do you have trapped there?"

"Oh they're not trapped," Madame Korvarian sneered "They never were. They were waiting, Doctor, for you."

They heard the sounds of a commotion near by and Rory burst through the door, slamming it closed behind him "They're out! All of them!" he yelled. There was a horrified silence that was broken by an evil laugh "And you're all wearing eye drives based on mine. Oops. The Silence would never allow an advantage, without taking one themselves. The effects will vary from person to person. Either death or debilitating agony. But they will take you all, one by one." A young woman in a lab coat screamed and dropped to the floor, clutching at the eye that was covered by the black eye drive. By the time Amy had reached her it was too late. Eye drives around the room started to fizz and crackle.

"Eye drives off now!" River roared, rushing to take off the Doctor's eye drive as it sparked with electricity.

"We could end this, you and I. Right now we could stop this," The Doctor shouted at River, who had run to help with the removal of the eye drives. But she wasn't listening to him. "Amy, tell her." he pleaded. But if he was hoping for help from Amy, he wasn't going to get it. She looked at him sadly "We've been working on something. Just let us show you. Let us explain why we're really doing this."

"There is nothing you can do. My time is up." The Doctor shouted in exasperation.

"We're not doing this for you," Amy shouted at him. "We're doing this for someone else. For someone that means a hell of a lot to all of us. So shut up and let us show you." The Doctor fell silent, uncertain as to who they could be risking so much for. Then a thought, a horrible thought, crossed his mind "Where is Aderyn?" He demanded "Where is she?"

"This is not the time to argue, Sir," Rory said. He had his gun raised and pointing at the door. "You should all get away from here as soon as possible. I'll hold them off." A loud bang caused the door to begin to splinter.

"We're going to the receptor room at the top of the pyramid. Get ready for a climb." River said sternly. Amy ushered the Doctor to follow River, but she hung back.

"You have to take off your eye drive," She said to Rory "It could activate at any moment."

"It already has," He said. She noticed then that the hand at his side was shaking and his fist was clenched. "But I'll be no use to you if I can't remember what I'm fighting. Now go." Amy nodded and rushed after River and the Doctor. But the Doctor stopped her. "Go and get him." he snapped at her. That was all the encouragement she needed. She got back to the control room just in time. The door and burst open and a Silent loomed above him. Amy picked up a discarded weapon and shot it. She grabbed Rory's hand and pulled him after her, ignoring Madame Korvarian's pleas for help as her own eye drive activated.

The top of the pyramid was open, exposed to the night air. There was a large console on one side and in the middle was what looked like a beacon.

"What's this?" The Doctor demanded.

"It's the beginning of something that could change everything." River said vaguely.

"You have already changed everything, River. A fixed point has be altered. Time is disintegrating." The Doctor spat.

"Shut up, Doctor," Amy snapped as she removed the Doctor's cuffs "Like I said, we're not doing this for you. We only have a few minutes. River, show him."

River walked over to the console and a hologram appeared above the beacon. It showed a less then flattering mug shot. She pressed a button and the Doctor found himself looking at something that made his heart sink. It was a wanted poster.

 _WANTED: Escaped murderer known only as Oswin_

 _CONVICTION: 4 Counts of Murder._

He scanned the poster. Oswin. Aderyn had become Oswin. And Oswin was a murderer.

"She was incarcerated for the murder of Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. Shortly after imprisonment she escaped to carry out the murder of Professor River Song and Madame Korvarian. It is believed she is able to travel between universes and time streams due to a modified vortex manipulator. She is extremely dangerous. If spotted do not approach," He read "What has this got to do with me?"

"I hacked into the Stormcage records," River said "She went off the rails after the death of someone she referred to as 'The Doctor'. She lost hope, Doctor, she didn't care. She became Oswin because of me, because of what I do. I can't let her be that person."

"When we met Oswin in America she had no idea who we were," Amy said hastily "Something happens to her after you die that causes her to forget the people who care about her. Don't think for a second we're doing this to save our lives, Doctor. We're doing this because we don't want her to suffer."

"We know you wouldn't want that either." River said quietly.

"Shut up," The Doctor snapped "I'm thinking." He paced around the beacon, muttering under his breath. A beeping from the console made them all jump.

"That's an intruder warning." Rory said, rushing over to it.


	16. I Have The Strength To Do This

It had been easy to find them, not that she could remember why she had to find them or why she hated them. She couldn't even remember who they were. But there was something familiar about them. This would be the fourth and, hopefully, final universe she would have found them in. The security protocols that surrounded the pyramid were easy to get passed and Oswin had found it far too easy to get in. But when she got there she knew instantly that something wasn't right. The floor was covered in water and broken shards of glass. She wouldn't have fun trying to get the glass out of the treads of her boots. The doors ahead of her was broken, bowed in the middle and splintered as though some great strength had forced them open. As she entered the room she saw them, the Silence, trying to force their way through another door. That would be the door she needed to go through. Madame Korvarian was bound to a chair. She looked up weakly as Oswin entered. Oswin held her fingers to her lips, drew a gun and shot the creatures, none of which had seen her enter.  
_

The console's scanner showed them a view of the control room. The four of then watched in horror as Oswin shot the remaining creatures and walked over to Madame Korvarian.  
_

"Help me." Madame Korvarian pleaded.

"No," Oswin smiled "Why would I do that? You ruined my life. You took away the Doctor. He died because of you."

"You're so much better off without him. So much stronger." Korvarian said desperately.

"You keep saying that. And I guess you're right," Oswin took a step back and raised her gun, pointing it squarely between Madame Korvarian's eyes "Because thanks to you, I have the strength to do this." And she pulled the trigger. headed for the door, stepping over and on the fallen aliens as she pushed the door open with ease.

"Doctor, if you're trying to come up with an idea you might want to think quicker. She'll be here soon." River said.

"She's on her way up." Rory said. He took the gun from Amy and aimed it at the door. The Doctor wrestled it from his grip "You may not remember her," He said bitterly "and she may not remember you. But I will not have you kill her. Do I make myself clear? No one harms her." Rory nodded mutely. The door was thrown open and Oswin was stood, grinning horribly at them, a gun in her hand.


	17. I Can't Let It Carry On

Before Oswin could take aim, the Doctor sprinted forwards and took hold of her wrist. In her shock at seeing the Doctor alive, she dropped the gun. "You're dead." She said.

"Not yet." He replied. Oswin took a step back. The eye that wasn't covered by an eye patch glistened with tears.

"I watched you die. You died," She looked around, finally catching sight of River, Amy and Rory. She glared ferociously at River "She killed you."

The Doctor put his hands on Oswin's shoulders, trying to distract her attention away from River "She didn't. She couldn't because of you. Oswin you have to try and remember who you really are. You are not Oswin. You are Aderyn."

Oswin took a step back from him and shook her head "Not anymore. She made sure of it." She put her hand in her pocket. Amy strode forwards, pushed the Doctor aside and punched Oswin.

"Why did you do that?" The Doctor exclaimed. He knelt next to Oswin, who was unconscious.

"Because Aderyn taught me that you should never trust a girl with pockets." Amy said.

"I have an idea," The Doctor said quietly "But I don't know if it would work. I need to go and find something. You'll need to keep an eye on Oswin."

"She'll try and kill us." Amy said angrily. The Doctor pulled Oswin into a sitting position and removed her coat. He picked her up and carried her to the console, placing her on the floor so she was leaning against it. He walked back over to Amy, picking up the cuffs she had discarded on the floor at her feet.

"She won't kill you if she can't get to you," he said, cuffing Oswin's hand to the console. He gently removed her eye drive "And if she can remember you, she'll protect you. But right now I need to go. I need to save her." He ran through the door and back down through the pyramid before anyone could stop him.

Oswin stirred and groaned, rubbing her head with her free hand. When she tried to move her other hand and found it restrained, she glared at River "Why does it always end in handcuffs with you?" River didn't reply. She couldn't bear seeing Aderyn like this. Confused and angry and so alone. She had tried so hard to keep her promise about Aderyn not becoming Oswin, but the proof that she failed was sat in front of her glaring murderously. She had destroyed time to stop it happening. But it happened anyway.

"I don't get it," Amy whispered "The Doctor didn't die. So how is Oswin even here?"

"It's very complicated. Too complicated to explain." River whispered back.

"Try."

River sighed "You remember the Doctor dying and not dying. The same event happening in two different ways. Well somehow it would appear that somewhere out there is a different universe where the Doctor died. Oswin can travel between universes because of the manipulator. That's what she's done."

"Then where is Aderyn from the universe where the Doctor didn't die?" Amy asked.

River shrugged "I don't know exactly where she is. All I found out is that she's alive and a pretty successful author."

"But isn't this causing a massive paradox? I mean Oswin being in the same time stream as Aderyn?" Amy hissed.

"It didn't last time," Rory said. They turned to face him, frowning. Until now Rory had shown no signs of being able to remember anything that had happened before River had failed to kill the Doctor. "Well it didn't. Oswin was in her own time stream and helped us and Aderyn and the fabric of time were unphased."

"That is a good point." Amy said. She looked at River, hoping River knew why. But she wasn't looking at them. She was looking at Oswin, who had stopped grumbling. She was sat with her legs bent and her head resting on her knees. River approached her cautiously, keeping out of arms reach.

"Oz, are you ok?" She asked.

Oswin raised her head, her eyes slightly unfocused. She smiled weakly at River "Hello, Sweetie."

"Hello, Darling." River replied sadly.

"River, you have to run. You Amy and Rory. You have to get away. Just run," Aderyn stammered.

River shook her head. "Please," Aderyn begged "I've already killed you all once. I don't want to do it again."

"Aderyn, I'm not going anywhere. It wasn't your fault. I'm not leaving. I promised you I wouldn't let this happen and it has. I can't let it carry on."


	18. I Consent And Gladly Give

The Doctor wasn't gone for long. But to Amy it felt like hours. She had to resist the urge to pull River away from Aderyn. River seemed convinced that Aderyn was back to herself now. She had cried and apologised profusely and even shouted at them all to run. But Amy wasn't sure that Aderyn wouldn't switch back to being Oswin. She'd already convinced River not to free Aderyn from the cuffs shackling her to the console. They would wait for the Doctor before they did that.

When the Doctor did return he seemed almost pleased with himself.

He had been able to locate the Teselecta much easier then he had initially thought. And they had been unexpectedly helpful.

He had found them posing as a humble civilian. Apparently they had been looking for him. They had stopped in a bar and found a quiet corner to talk in.

"I'm not asking you to help me," He told them, before he even told them about his plan "I'm asking you to help her."

"Help who?" The Captain, Carter, asked.

"Aderyn." The Doctor said.

"We tried once. It didn't go according to plan." Carter replied.

"Maybe you were just at the wrong point in her time line. I can't let her become Oswin."

Carter sighed "We want to help her."

"I'm curious as to why. I'm not complaining. I'm just curious."

"We know her future," Carter said "We know what she will become. You know why she was incarcerated?" The Doctor nodded "It will be some much worse then just a few murders if something isn't done about her. But what happens is not her fault. So we want to help her, not give her Hell."

"Then help her." The Doctor said.

The Robotic face of the man in front of him broke into a smile "There is only one way we can help her. And I think you know what it is." Again the Doctor nodded.  
_

When he did return to Area 52, he was pleased to see River talking to Aderyn. Amy and Rory seemed uncertain but they weren't trying to kill her or knock her out again. Which could only be a good thing. The Doctor approached Aderyn carefully, trying not to smile too broadly and give away that he had a plan. He crouched in front of her. "Addy, you'll be okay. I promise."

"How will I?" She asked tearfully. The Doctor undid the cuff and held out his hand, which she took. He pulled her to her feet then looked from River to Aderyn. He smiled "Because no matter what happens, you will have this moment. You're a time traveller so no matter what you will remember little things. And I have a feeling that this is one of those things that you'll remember," He removed his bow tie and gave her one end "Wrap that around your hand. River, you do the same with the other end," They frowned at him, but did as they were told. "Right, we're technically in the middle of a combat zone so it will have to be the short version."

"Of what?" Amy asked.

"Gallifreyan wedding. Now Aderyn you'll have to be the groom," He took a few steps back from them but stood between them. They smiled shyly at each other, both clearly happy to be doing this "Right, parents of the bride. Rory first, repeat after me," The Doctor cleared his throat "I consent and gladly give," Rory repeated the words back to him. "Now you, Amy," She did the same. The Doctor couldn't stop himself from smiling "As the marrying couple do you both consent?" Aderyn opened and closed her mouth a few times and River raised an amused eyebrow at her "You just need to nod or shake your head," The Doctor whispered to her. Aderyn nodded eagerly. As did River. "You're now married." The Doctor turned away from them, taking Amy and Rory by the shoulder and turning them with him "Let's give them a moment."

"Doctor, do you have a plan?" Amy asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes. But I'm not going to tell you because you won't like it," He turned back to Aderyn and River. They were both smiling broadly. "Right, now River," He put his hands in his pockets, leant close to River and whispered in her ear. When he stood straight again she was frowning at him "I just told you the answer to a question that should never be answered. Remember it, it will come in very useful one day," He hugged Aderyn then extended his hand out to River "Now let me congratulate the bride." River took his hand to shake it and the world dissolved around them.


	19. Rule Number One?

The Doctor died by the lake. But this time Aderyn was there. Rory held her back as the Doctor was shot by the astronaut. And life continued as it was always meant to.

At Amy's insistence, Aderyn stayed with her and Rory. She tried not to be too melancholy and morose. She didn't like to ponder on the death of the Doctor and the events that had happened before it. Instead she threw herself into writing. And within a week, her second book was ready to be published. The evenings were the worst. Aderyn was reluctant to sleep. Sleep meant dreaming, and she often dreamt of watching the Doctor die. But one day she had a message from River saying she would be over that evening. She couldn't decide whether she was happy about it or not. They were planning on having an official, traditional wedding. Well as traditional as it could be when two women get married. And they were meant to start with the proper planning. Aderyn didn't know if she could do that yet. She had always thought the Doctor would be there if she ever got married. But he couldn't be now.

When River arrived, Amy and Aderyn were sat in a depressed silence in the back garden, enjoying the warm evening and a bottle of wine.

River sat in the chair next to Aderyn.

"So where are we?" Aderyn asked, without looking at River. Had she looked she would have known by the combats that River wore, exactly where they were.

"I just climbed out of the Byzantium. You were both so young," River said "Where are you?"

"We're married." Aderyn said.

"the Doctor is dead." Amy said quietly.

River had hoped she'd had more time until Aderyn reached that point "How are you both doing?"

Amy shrugged. Aderyn drained the last of the wine from her glass "I killed people," She spat "I killed people I love and I didn't think anything of it. How do you think I'm doing?"

"I don't know unless you tell me." River said. She wanted to break down and apologise repeatedly. Aderyn was furious with her and had every right to be. She just wanted Aderyn to know how sorry she was. But this wasn't the time or the place.

Aderyn sighed "I killed people, River. I remember it all. The Doctor dies and I become a maniac."

Amy poured Aderyn another glass of wine and squeezed her hand reassuringly "That wasn't your fault Beastie. Time can be rewritten." Aderyn rolled her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like "Fixed point."

"You don't need to worry, Oz." River said soothingly. This did not have the desired affect. If anything Aderyn's anger seemed to increase. She glared at River with as much anger as she could muster, which was quite a bit "It's easy for you to say. Some of us actually feel remorse about killing people," She hissed venomously. She then sighed and ran her fingers through her hair "I just wish I could talk to him about it."

"Do you think it would make any difference if you could?" River asked. Aderyn was starting to get very frustrated with how calm River was. It was like she didn't get the point, like she didn't realise how terrified Aderyn was of becoming Oswin.

"Yes it would," She snapped "If I could talk to the Doctor about it then it would mean that either he was alive or I was dead. Either way that would be a step in the right direction. But at the moment my future looks worse then yours. Thanks for that." She got to her feet quickly, grabbed her glass off the table and stormed into the house. They heard her bedroom door slam.

Amy sighed "Sorry. She's not been talking about how she's feeling and I think it's starting to get a bit too much."

"Don't apologise. I'm not worried. I would be worried if she wasn't angry. She's scared. She doesn't deal with fear." River said.

Amy smiled as she remembered River telling her that when she was in the forest on the star liner "Don't get scared, get angry." She muttered.

"Exactly." River said. She watched as Amy stood and went into the kitchen, reappearing with an empty glass and a full bottle of wine.

"I don't think letting her drink helped," Amy said as she poured River a drink "Will she be okay? I know you're not meant to tell me anything about her future. But will she be ok?" River didn't reply. She smiled at Amy over her glass.

"She's here for Christmas. But have we got that long?" Amy pushed on.

"Oh Amy, we have all the time in the world," River replied with a sly smile. Amy frowned at her "What I'm about to tell you, you cannot under any circumstance, tell Aderyn. I'm not even meant to tell you. You can't tell Aderyn," Amy nodded and River relaxed in her chair "Do you know what the Doctor whispered in my ear?"

Amy frowned, trying to remember what the Doctor had said "The answer to the question that should never be answered."

River shook her head "Rule number one?"

"The Doctor lies. What did he tell you?" Amy shifted to the edge of her seat.

"One word and one word only. Teselecta." River sat back and watched Amy's reaction as realisation dawned, leaving a happy grin in it's wake.

"He's alive?" Amy squeaked, trying to keep her voice down.

River nodded. They both jumped as they heard a door close.

Rory let the door slam behind him then groaned. Amy had told him off about that before. He knew neither Aderyn or Amy would be asleep yet. They both would stay up until the small hours. Aderyn would be delaying sleep for as long as possible and Amy would be wanting to keep an eye on her. But when he walked through the kitchen he was surprised to see River and Amy in the back garden, both clearly trying not to laugh.

"What's going on?" He asked them.

"You made us jump," Amy choked "But listen. There's good news. But you can't tell Aderyn."

"Okay." Rory said slowly.

"The Doctor is alive." Amy said.

Rory stared at her with disbelief "Are you sure?"

"Oh yes." River said.

"But why can't we tell Aderyn?" Rory asked. Amy frowned at River. She hadn't even thought to ask that question. Aderyn would be happier then any of them could possibly be if she knew the Doctor was alive.

"Because her future can be rewritten. As horrible as it is to think it, the Doctor won't always be there. She needs to change her own future. Between me and you two I think we can help. After all, you are her in-laws."


	20. Two Years Later

_Two years later_

It had definitely been an eventful Christmas eve. Aderyn would have loved it. He almost wished she had been there. She would have had fun running through the forest with the children. She would have been more then delighted with the strength of Madge Arwell. Seeing the Arwell family together and so happy had made him feel guilty and miss Aderyn more. She loves Christmas. Even when she was a kid and Christmas had always been just another day for her. But she didn't need him this Christmas. No doubt she would be with the Ponds this year. And of course he missed them too, but they had their own life to lead.

He stood, leaning against the TARDIS console, Madge Arwell's words ringing in his head.

 _"I want you to stay for Christmas." Madge said. The Doctor contemplated the idea for a second. Then felt another pang of guilt. If he stayed here his guilt would only grow. He would be here having fun with a family he hardly knew when the Ponds and Aderyn believed him to be dead._

 _"I have things to do." He muttered eventually._

 _"Of course," Madge smiled "You'll have your own family to visit."_

 _The Doctor shrugged "Yes and no. I have family, well I say family and I mean I have a friend who is practically family. But she's with her wife and best friends this Christmas."_

 _"Well then why don't you go and see them?" There was the tiniest pause and a quizzical frown "Did you say she has a wife?"_

 _"Ah yes, I did," The Doctor said slowly "Probably the wrong decade to mention it. But I can't see them. They think I'm dead."_

 _He walked towards the TARDIS, fully intending to jump passed the Christmas guilt._

 _"No one should be alone," Madge said sadly "Especially at Christmas. Why would you let your friends believe you're dead? At Christmas?"_

 _"It's complicated," The Doctor said, pushing the TARDIS door open "Too complicated to explain now."_

 _"Then you must tell them at once," She demanded "Off you go." She crossed her arms and gave him such a stern look, he was certain he would be in trouble if he dared disobey. He couldn't help but smile at her._

 _"Yes mum, I'll think about it." he laughed. She smiled fondly at him as he'd closed the TARDIS door._

Now he drifted through space, uncertain as to whether he should see them. He looked mournfully at the console "Well Old Girl, what should I do?"

The TARDIS hummed and wheezed noisily. He didn't need to check the scanner to see where the TARDIS had brought him. He did his best to look smart and tidy before stepping out of the TARDIS into the snow. He'd bounced around time and space long enough to loose track of how long it had been since he'd last seen them. He just hoped it hadn't been too long.

He knocked politely at the door, smiling when he noticed it was TARDIS blue. He heard Amy behind the door, complaining loudly about carol singers. The door was flung open and Amy glared at him for a heartbeat, before slamming the door closed again. He waited patiently. After no more than a minute, the door was open again.

"I'm not actually sure how long it's been." He said.

"It's been two years," Amy said "So you're not dead. River told me."

"Does Aderyn know? Is she okay?"

Amy shook her head "No, she doesn't know. River told us not to tell her. But no, she's not ok."

The Doctor felt a fresh wave of guilt and mumbled an apology.

"It's not me you should be saying sorry to," Amy said sternly "You have no idea what you've done to her. I know that all she wanted was a family, but one thing you failed to see is that to her YOU are family. And you left her behind. You left us all behind." The Doctor looked at her guiltily. Her arms were crossed and she tapped her foot. It wasn't until he attempted to smile weakly that she smiled at him. She hugged him tightly.

"Where is she?" He asked eventually.

"Upstairs. She didn't sleep much last night so she's getting some sleep before dinner. Do you want to see her?"

The Doctor nodded and Amy moved aside. The Doctor had been in the house for less then a few seconds when he was hugged by Rory, who had been about to go upstairs.

"I was just about to get Addy up. Should I wait?" he said.

"No, I'll get her up." The Doctor started towards the stairs but Amy stopped him.

"Shoes off. The carpet in the hall is new and I'll not have you tracking grubby footprints through it," he kicked off his shoes, leaving them under the coat rack next to, what was unmistakably, Aderyn's bright red converse. "Go right at the top of the stairs, last door on the left. Now are you sure you don't want one of us to get her up?"

"Why would I want that?" The Doctor frowned.

"Because she's spent the past two years thinking you were dead. She might be a bit angry." Rory said.

"She won't be angry," the Doctor corrected "She'll be furious." As the Doctor made his way up the stairs Amy and Rory retreated to the living room. They weren't there for very long however. They soon heard running footsteps and a furious shout. They got to the hall in time to see the Doctor running down the stairs. He was closely followed by a book that had been hurled aimlessly in his direction. He ducked behind Amy as Aderyn charged down the stairs.

"Now Aderyn," the Doctor said, trying desperately to sound less terrified then he actually was and keeping Amy between them. Aderyn when furious was worth hiding from "Let's just talk about this calmly shall we?" But he words fell on deaf ears.

"Two years!" Aderyn roared "Two years!"

Amy held out a hand diplomatically "Calm down Beastie." she said. This worked to a degree. Aderyn still looked like she wanted to rip the Doctor's head off, but she took a step backwards and crossed her arms sulkily.

"Hang on," she said suddenly, most of the anger gone from her voice "If you're here, then where's the TARDIS?" The Doctor pointed to the door. Aderyn slipped on a pair of shoes and ran from the house. They heard her yelp excitedly as she found the TARDIS.

"Is it safe letting her loose near the TARDIS by herself?" Rory asked slowly.

"It's not like she can fly it or anything."

Rory and the Doctor looked at Amy and said in unison "She can."

"Plus her vortex manipulator is in there," the Doctor paused and looked concerned "I'm going to go and make sure she doesn't steal my TARDIS." As he followed Aderyn Amy called after him "Don't go too far. Dinner will be ready soon and she hasn't eaten anything today." The Doctor stuck his head through the front door, a broad grin stretched across his face "You're such a mother." he said, before hurrying after Aderyn.

Aderyn wasn't in the console room when the Doctor got there. But she soon reemerged. The Doctor was stood by the console, smiling apologetically. She had a bag thrown over her shoulder and the Doctor was certain that this would be it, certain he had finally pushed Aderyn too far. His smile faded, convinced she was packing all her stuff from the TARDIS. She smiled in genuine amusement when she realised what he was thinking. "I just wanted to grab a few things incase you went away again." she said as she walked around the console towards him. When she reached the Doctor she put her bag down and threw her arms around him. And cried.

River appeared in the hall behind Amy and Rory. They were both staring out of the front door. River guessed that the Doctor had finally shown up and that Aderyn had run into the TARDIS. She cleared her throat politely.

"River, we weren't expecting you." Amy said happily.

"I can't stay long. I had to make a quick trip to Victorian London to pick something up," She indicated the long package neatly wrapped in brown paper that she was holding. "It's for Aderyn. Make sure she gets it."

The Doctor apologised continuously as Aderyn cried into his shirt.

"Two years," she sobbed "I thought you were dead for two years. Why?"

"I'm so sorry. I can't allow you to become Oswin but I can't guarantee I'll be there all the time. You needed to find your own way." He cooed.

"By letting me believe you were dead?" She half cried, half shouted, still clinging to him. Once again all the Doctor could do was say how sorry he was. He had felt most guilty about leaving Aderyn behind. He knew, deep down, that River would have told Amy and Rory that he wasn't dead. He knew that they would look after Aderyn. And he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from her forever. But he hadn't ever thought about how he would explain the reasons behind his actions.

"You've always wanted a family. They're your family. You didn't need me." He said, knowing she would argue.

She pushed him away "But you're family to me."

He couldn't help but smile at her "You know, sometimes you're so human." She chuckled at him and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She punched his chest half heartedly "Just don't do that again or I'll kill you myself."

"I promise," the Doctor laughed quietly. He reached into the pocket inside his jacket "I got you something. It is Christmas after all," He handed her a small cylindrical package. She tore the paper off it. It was a sonic screwdriver. Similar to the Doctor's.

"I thought you should have your own. It might come in useful. It's got some extra settings as well. But I'll let you find out what they do. And this," he reached into his pocket again "Is just for fun." He gave her a bow tie. It was plain but a deep maroon colour. It was his favourite bow tie. In a flurry of excitement she ran to the TARDIS wardrobe, returning in a blue and white check shirt tucked in to her jeans, and maroon suspenders. She turned up the collar and the Doctor watched in amusement as she attempted to tie the bow tie. Eventually he took pity on her and showed her how to do it up. They spent several minutes undoing and re-tieing it until Aderyn completely had the hang of it. There was a polite knock on the door and Rory's head appeared from behind it. He was relieved to see Aderyn smiling and laughing. "Dinner is ready," he informed them "Are you really wearing a bow tie?"

Aderyn threw her bag over her shoulder again and stopped at the door. She needlessly straightened the bow tie and said "I wear bow ties now. Bow ties are cool." The Doctor grinned at him as Aderyn ran back to the house. Rory rolled his eyes.

The buzz around the dinner table couldn't be further from the sombre atmosphere of the previous year. Aderyn laughed often and loudly as the Doctor entertained them with stories of his travels. She had watched him with wide eyes as he told them about Christmas eve with the Arwell's. It wasn't until dinner was finished and they were sat watching bad Christmas themed TV that Amy remembered River's visit. Aderyn had regarded the parcel with great confusion. When she read the card she had smiled to herself. As she tore open the paper, the Doctor looked at the card. It was from Jenny and Vastra. Though Vastra's name had been added to the card as though it were an after thought.

The parcel had been a sword. It was long and ornate. There was black leather wrapped around the handle. The blade itself looked deadly sharp. At the very point of the blade, carved into the metal, was a TARDIS. Leading away from it and extending the full length of the sword was a pattern of intricate feathers. She turned the sword over in her hands, delighting in the way the fairy lights from the Christmas tree bounced off the heavily polished blade.

Wrapped with the sword were three small envelopes. Each was numbered. Envelope one held a small note saying Merry Christmas and that Madame Vastra will happily train her in sword fighting. The second held a note from Jenny, containing words of encouragement and saying that she was strong enough to cope with anything. The final envelope had a short note from Vastra. The note said that Vastra had thought of her and, didn't so much suggest as demand, that Vastra will teach her how to use a sword properly. At the bottom it said that she hoped Aderyn liked the present. It also contained a silver necklace with three silver pendants. A TARDIS and two swords. The swords were tiny replicas of the ones owned by Madame Vastra and Jenny. Aderyn was stunned. For Vastra this was a big thing. Aderyn knew what each thing symbolised. Home, protection and friendship. It was the reassurance that Aderyn needed that no matter what happened, she would be safe.

As it always insisted on doing when fun was being had, time flew passed. Aderyn spent most of the evening playing with the settings on her sonic screwdriver. This had been brought to a stop by Amy threatening to take it from her when she kept unintentionally changing the TV channel or causing the lights to flicker constantly until the Doctor had been forced to use his own screwdriver to put a stop to it. So instead she had resorted to staring in awe at the sword. But she had soon fallen into a restful sleep leaning against the Doctor. When he realised she was asleep he put an arm around her and didn't move until she woke up an hour later. The Doctor, not one for domestics, was already starting to get the itch to travel again. But this time he didn't want to go alone.

"How about a little trip?" He said to the room at large. Aderyn's eyes had brightened at the suggestion.

"I'm too full. But you go." Amy said. This was a lie. But a lie that she hoped Rory would cotton on to. Thankfully he did "I'm on call tomorrow. I should get an early night. I actually need to be able to function." He lied.

"You go, Addy. Have some fun." Amy told her. Before they had left though, Amy made sure to give the Doctor strict instructions to make she got some sleep and food and not to get her into anything too dangerous just yet. He had promised. And she ignored his jokes about how much of a mother she was being.

True to his word, they didn't get into any trouble or anything dangerous.

When he went back to the TARDIS after dropping Aderyn back at her cottage two days later, he went straight to the library. He put her two latest novels, _The End of The World_ and _The Unquiet Dead_ , On the shelf next to the first, which he picked up and immediately began to read.


End file.
